Tag Archives: Reality Television

The Ted Williams story was the first feel good story of the year, but it has turned into a media nightmare. Self righteous Dr. Phil has devoted 3 days to Ted Willaims and his family. Why has Dr. Phil devoted so much time to Williams? Because he is hot. His family has shared too much information with the world. Some of them seem like they have an ax to grind. No one is disputing that Williams might have a substance abuse problem, but is this public flogging helping? After his family and Dr. Phil finish with Williams any contract that he has not already signed might be rescinded. It just does not seem like they actually want him to succeed. Before anyone says oh you don’t know what they’ve been through I concede I don’t, but talking to Dr. Phil is not the way to go. This family needs to work this out, but not in the public eye.

“A story of talent, redemption and the power of the Internet” these are the words Matt Lauer used to describe the story of Ted Williams. Williams was just another beggar by the highway until a reporter read his sign and listened to him speak. He is on a whirlwind now. He has job offers from all over the world. He will get the opportunity to see his 92 year old mother who had not seen for over 10 years. Lauer said to Williams how did he maintain his “civility” despite his hard life. Williams said that he learned these lessons from his mother, but he also gave glory to God. He has learned to be grateful. Lastly, Williams said “don’t judge a book by a cover.” Words to live by.

Bristol Palin preaches abstinence and The Situation prides himself in getting into sexual “situations”. So why would they be coupled in this PSA? Is this effective or just plain strange. Tell me what you think.

I happened to see a promo for this new show Downsized which premieres tonight on WEtv. I love the premise of the show they find themselves on hard times and they know they have to find their way out of it. Most reality shows still spotlight consumption even in these difficult times. In the Real Housewives of New Jersey the Guidice family bought a house literally fit for a king and since that show was aired they have lost it to foreclosure but they still are a part of the television farce that is the Real Housewives. So even though the Bruce family are not on a desert island this is actually Survivor, but it is real. Read the review of the show: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/05/AR2010110503763.html?referrer=emailarticle

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Amber Portwood is facing charges after the viewing public witnessed her beating up her boyfriend. In the state of Indiana it is a felony to commit an act of domestic violence in the presence of a child under 14. She committed the act on her boyfriend in front of their infant child. The premise of the show is to let the viewer watch a day in the life of the teen mom, but like all reality shows the participants are probably encouraged to amp it up for the viewers. Drama is what fuels these types of shows. Sure Portwood might be violent when the camera is off but the camera just makes an argument graduate into to a full blown fist fight. So does MTV bear in responsibility in this? Probably not. They tacitly encourage bad behavior but they don’t make the participants do anything, but they know if they don’t MTV will be casting for a new crop of baby mamas.

We all know reality television has nothing to do with reality. The loudest in the crowd tend to get more air time. This brings me to the latest cartoon like character–NaOnka. She is a contestant on the CBS show Survivor. Last night she and another candidate were fighting and I mean real tousling over a clue to a hidden immunity idol. The person she was battling with has one leg and that is not the issue. The contestant with the prothesis is a viable and formidable contestant, but NaOnka’s speech after retrieving the clue was over the top. She said she didn’t care if she had one leg, she threatened to hide it or even burn it. NaOnka said she didn’t go “ghetto” on the girl she went “hood” on her. To say it was not enough. NaOnka had to do an imitation of both for the audience. Where do they find these people? Does the producer go out scouting them? Survivor is infamous for finding these polarizing stereotypes and it just seems a tad bit contrived to me.

The Duggars are on the upcoming People magazine cover with their 19th child Josie. She had serious health issues at birth and Michelle Duggar also dealt with serious pregnancy complications. Michelle had preeclampsia (pregnancy induced high blood pressure) which could have been deadly to both the mother and the child. The Duggars are the stars of the TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting. They are devout Baptists who obviously do not believe in birth control. In the article they talk about being open to the possibility of having number 20. I think as long as they can take care of them they can have as many children that they want, but what concerns me is how the other children are forced to co-parent their siblings. In the article Michelle says something very telling, she said “When she(Josie) first came home, I couldn’t sleep at all. That was the scariest part for me, having the full responsibility of her care on my shoulders … It was intimidating.” My question is well who had was responsible for the other children when they were babies? While it is true the older siblings do help with the younger siblings in most families, but most families don’t have 19 children. One of the commenters on the People magazine article said it would have served them right if little Josie had died. That’s a cruel sentiment. I do believe that children are a gift from God and I can only wish them well and say better her than me.

Over the weekend The Soup did a segment on Matt a contestant on the CBS show Big Brother, he could not even keep a straight face as he told his castmates his fictitious tale of woe. This morning on The View they addressed his lie. In an effort to win Matt has told his fellow contestants that his wife suffers from a rare illness, and if he wins he will use his winnings to offset medical expenses. He is lying, but they all have seemingly bought into the lie. So is he a bad guy? No, he is the latest guy willing to do anything to win money. A few years ago a contestant on Survivor told his castmates his grandmother was dying in order for him to gain an advantage. So my question is why would the contestants be so gullible? When reality shows were in their infancy I could see how people still believed in the goodness in people and they could be bamboozled, but now it would seem the contestants would take everything anyone said with a grain of salt. Don’t get me wrong I have no respect for this tactic, but it is a dirty tactic and reality television is full of dirty people.

First, let me admit I do watch reality television and I also admit I watch the Real Housewives of New Jersey. This show was a mindless, harmless diversion until it wasn’t. People Magazine has cast member, Teresa Giudice on the cover acknowledging that she and her husband have amassed debt totaling $11 million dollars. They are now seeking bankruptcy protection. All of this would not be worthy of commenting if their imprudent spending only effected them and their family. The first question I would ask is how did the creditors allow this to happen? She had unpaid bills at Nordstrom and Bloomingdale totaling in the thousands? How many times have you been only a few days late paying a bill and the store slaps on a late penalty and back in the day you might be receiving a threatening call demanding the payment? How many unemployed people have tried to work out deals with their creditors and been denied, but these people are allowed to just keep spending until they run to bankruptcy for cover. Her husband, Joe Giudice said “if we lived in the inner city and didn’t have a big house, we wouldn’t be on the show.” He’s right, but what he fails to acknowledge is that part of their “wealth ” was amassed on the backs of people who dwell in the inner city. Giudice owns apartments in inner city New Jersey and on some occasions his tenants have gone without heat and water, but don’t worry about them. Giudice said, “maybe that would happen, but they never went a whole night without heat or anything. They’re exaggerating.”* Their attitude would make Marie Antoinette blush. The peasants want bread let them eat cake. At this point they are still in their million dollar mansion and they now can re-group and start spending again because they are committed to the fantasy and, nothing including bankruptcy will not stand in the way of that.

It makes more sense now. Why would the parents of a 16 year old girl let her attempt to circumnavigate around the world by herself? They knew she had the skill and they were empowering her to live out her destiny. All of that might be true but one thing that is true is that her dad was in talks to do a reality television show. Yes this is another case of throwing caution to the wind in search of 15 minutes of fame. People will try anything for fame and if it fails governmental agencies are forced to rescue them from their own vein stupidity. Remember balloon boy? His parents actually served some time for their deception. Remember the ‘wanna be’ Salahis? They will actually be on the Real Housewives of DC. They crashed the first Obama White House State dinner and their efforts have been rewarded. So I guess we could say some get what they are searching for and some fail, but they all continue to seek one thing and that is fame, and it is fame at any cost and if it does cost they don’t mind sticking the taxpayers with the bill.